New volunteers arrived ...

Ömer

Merve

Last Friday the next generation of Turkish volunteers arrived in Lithuania. Ömer and Merve are two students from Ankara, who will spend two month volunteering in Didzdvaris Gymnasium. As Manana and I already discovered, they are both very open minded and social and we are sure that we will have a great time with them. :)
Moreover we hope that Ömer will support us by writing especially for the sports section of our blog, because, as you maybe recognised, Manana and I are not particularly up to date when it comes to sports news. Due to Ömer's broad interest in many different fields, we are also sure that he will contribute to our school's activities with his knowledge and enthusiasm. In addition it is his plan to improve his Russian skills while he is in Lithuania and get to know as many interesting people here as possible. 
Merve is also very eager to take part in school activities, as she told us, she really would like to join some lessions, improve her English while she is here and furthermore assist the sports teacher, because she has as passion for sports. 


So we wish them a good start in Lithuania, many good experiences during this two months and that they make the best out of this opportunity to be an international volunteer here. :)


r.s.

Learning Languages

I guess there is no need to explain why it's important to know different languages nowadays.
Especially if your native language is spoken only in your home country and there are less then 5 million people who speak this language. What do we do for learning a new language then? Of course we have an opportunity to study it in school or in Universities. We also can take a language courses individually. But there are a lot of other ways how to learn a new language or to improve the one you already know on World Wide Web. Today I want to tell you about useful web-site that can help you to improve your language skills. This is a  very interesting online language learning community - www.livemocha.com. This is a web-site where you can create an account and use it for educational purpose. Livemocha provides instructional materials in more then 30 different languages and also it is a platform  for people to interact with native speakers and help each other to learn new languages.

Free basic courses are offered in almost 38 languages on this site, consisting of 30-50 hours of coursework. Few languages were first added to Livemocha through the process of "Member Translation". Members of the community fluent in two or more languages may translate already available course materials into their native tongue and put the results on web-site. Other users can rate and improve the translations. By the way Lithuanian language courses are among these type of courses, created by users of the web-site :)

More advanced courses - called "Active Courses"  are available in five languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. But you have to pay for it. They require a monthly or annual fee however these courses are intended to achieve conversational fluency.

I think that even courses which are offered on this site free of charge are very useful. For beginners it's quite easy to start language exercises. For those who are already on intermediate or advanced level site gives a really good opportunity to communicate with native speakers. Of course you can communicate with native speakers on other social networks as well. But very specific and different thing about this web-site is that as it is meant to be a language learning community you can ask other members (more probably native speakers) to review your accomplishments in learning language and to give some suggestions. It's really easy and convenient access to native speakers. By the way if you want you can also help others to learn your native tongue or the language which you already know quite well. You can revise their works on web-site, give them some advices and make the learning process easier.

Couchsurfing

"An excellent way of getting to know a local culture."   the Guardian

"CouchSurfing isn’t just a means of accommodation; it is an entirely new way to travel"   Time

"We saw and learned much more than if we had just gotten a hotel room. You can avoid being “that person” with the folded-out map when you’re exploring the city."   npr

                                                


If you want to travel you need a lot of money. If you want to travel you need to know the local spoken language. If you want to travel you need to read a lot of tourist guides.
Not with this new form of travelling: Couchsurfing. As the word somehow already says, the method is to "surf someone's couch", meaning, to stay for some nights in someone's apartment and sleep on his\her couch, floor,... .

But the philosophy of couchsurfing isn't just to provide a sleeping place for a total stranger, the aim for the host and the traveller is also to meet new people, get to know a different culture and find friends from all over the world. It is common that hosts and hosted one's take a stroll around the city (because in the end the traveller came to visit a place), explore the night life together, speak for hours about the personal life and interests, and somehow form a friendship, maybe not for a whole life time, but for some days.

Before couchsurfing existed, people on the go who couldn't afford or who didn't want to stay in a hotel or hostel, maybe talked to some complete stranger in a bar and ended up sleeping at this person's place. Without knowing with whom they are sharing an apartment and without any security net. The website couchsurfing.org can't provide a complete security net of course, but it gives the opportunity to create a profile, find a place to stay, and rate hosts after you visited them. This way future travellers can see, if a host got positive ratings and therefor is likely to be a good person, or at least a nice companion for some days.

And this is how it works:

How it Works

1. Start by searching for people who interest you.
2. Once you’ve found someone, send them a message, inviting them to your home or requesting to stay in theirs.
3. Then, meet up in person and share a unique experience.
4. And, at any time, join an activity to meet new people wherever you are.
5. 
   

(source: couchsurfing.org)

Couchsurfing.org claims on their website, that they are the "largest travel community". And indeed with millions of members in almost all countries world wide, it has become a huge multicultural community.

If you are interested in joining the group, becoming a host or are thinking of travelling somewhere and want to meet local folk and explore a country and culture not through the eyes of a stranger and tourist, but like a true inhabitant, then visit the couchsurfing website.


the couchsurfing website:
http://www.couchsurfing.org/

for further information read those articles:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/garden/20couch.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,2045092,00.html#ixzz1grewkXF6


r.s.

Solar Storm is likely to be felt on Earth tomorrow

Our planet is being bombarded by high-energy particles unleashed by the strongest solar storm since 2005, scientists say.


The storm has been caused by a so called potent flare that erupted from the Sun at 4am GMT on Sunday. Though the effects are likely to be felt on Earth throughout Wednesday, as the particles need some time for the journey from the Sun to Earth.


The charged particles are not necessarily dangerous for all human on our planet, they are mostly a concern for satellites and astronauts, who are currently in space.


Moreover it is possible that they cause communication problems for aircraft travelling near poles.


The only positive effect we could maybe experience are "Northern Lights" (aurorae) which are likely to occur in more southern regions that usually.


Personally I hope to see this fascinating "Northern lights" as I have never seen them in real life.




for further information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16701407


r.s.

French Senate vote on Armenian genocide law

The French Senate has approved bill that makes it a criminal offence to deny that genocide was committed by Ottoman Turks against Armenians during World War I. The bill is quite controversial. Armenia says up to 1.5 million people died in 1915-16 as the Ottoman empire split. Turkey rejects the term genocide and claims that the number was much smaller.   
The bill will now be sent for approval to the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy. Turks living in France made a demonstration against the new law but despite of this fact French Senate has approved the bill. 


For more information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16695137 - Turkish fury at French vote on Armenian genocide law
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16677986 - French Senate passes Armenian genocide law

What is the story of Captain Schettino?

While the rescue divers are still trying to find the still missing passengers and crew members who were on the Costa Concordia when she hit a rock in front of the Tuscan coast a few days ago, the Captain of the ship still declines all accuses that are brought up against him.
Captain Schettino is accused of causing the crash and therefor was put under house arrest.

Captain Schettino

Moreover the captain has to face accuses, that he left the ship before all passengers have left the sinking ship.

A recording of a call between him and the responsible coast guard Gregorio De Falco after the crash appears to support this, though Capt Schettino denies the claims.

In this recording you can year the coast guard demanding from the Captain to go back on the ship in order to coordinate the evacuation and save the passengers and crew members.

BBC news released a transcript of the recorded call:

Conversation of Gregorio De Falco and Captain Schettino

Gregorio De Falco: "Hello. Hello."

Francesco Schettino: "Good evening, captain."

De Falco: "Hello, I'm de Falco, from Livorno. I am speaking with the commander?"

Schettino: "I'm Commander Schettino."

De Falco: "Listen Schettino, there are people trapped aboard, you go with your lifeboat under the prow of the ship on the port side and you go aboard the ship using the rope ladder. You go aboard and you tell me how many people there are. Is it clear? I'm recording this conversation, Commander Schettino."

Schettino: "So, I'll tell you something..."

De Falco: "Speak louder."

Schettino: "Now, I'm in front of..."

De Falco: "Commander, speak louder, take the microphone and speak loud. Is that clear?"

Schettino: "Commander, right now the ship is skewed."

De Falco: "Understood. Listen there are people going down from the prow using the rope ladder; you take that rope ladder on the opposite side, you go aboard and you tell me the number of people and what they have on board. Is that clear? You tell me whether there are children, women or people needing assistance. And you tell me the number of each of these categories. Is that clear? Schettino, maybe you saved yourself from the sea, but I'll make you pay for sure. Go aboard."

Schettino: "Commander, please?"

De Falco: "Please, now you go aboard."

Schettino: "I am on the life boat, under the ship, I haven't gone anywhere, I'm here."

De Falco: "What are you doing, commander?"

Schettino: "I'm here to coordinate rescues."

De Falco: "What are you coordinating there? Go on board and coordinate rescues from on board. Do you refuse?"

Schettino: "No, no I'm not refusing."

De Falco: "You're refusing to go aboard, commander, tell me why you're not going."

Schettino: "I'm not going because there is another lifeboat stopped there."

De Falco: "Go aboard: it's an order. You have no evaluation to make, you declared abandon ship, now I give orders: go aboard. Is it clear?"

Schettino: "Commander I'm going aboard."

De Falco: "Call me from aboard, my rescuer is there at the prow of the ship. There are already dead bodies, Schettino."

Schettino: "How many dead bodies?"

De Falco: "I do not know. One for sure. You have to tell me how many."

Schettino: "Do you realise that it's dark here and we can't see a thing?"

De Falco: "And what, do you want to go home, Schettino? It's dark, so you want to go home...? Go on the prow of the ship, using the rope ladder and tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what are their needs. Do it now."

Schettino: "Here there is also the vice commander. I'm together with him."

De Falco: "Then go aboard together. Together. What's his name?"

Schettino: "Dimitri."

De Falco: "Dimitri what? You and your vice go aboard. Now, is it clear?"

Schettino: "Commander, I want to go aboard, but here there is the other lifeboat, there are other rescuers who stopped. Now I called other rescuers."

De Falco: "You've been telling me this for one hour. Go aboard. Go aboard. And you tell me right away how many people there are."

Schettino: "Ok commander."

De Falco: "Go, quickly."

source: BBC news

Picture taken during the night when the people were trying to leave the sinking Costa Concordia

If Schettino really went back on board of the ship remains unclear for the moment. But during a court hearing on Tuesday, the captain said he could not get on board the vessel because it was lying on its side.

He argued that after hitting rocks he had executed a difficult manoeuvre that had saved many people's lives.

Without doubt the police will try to analyse the happenings last Friday on the Costa Concordia very carefully and Captain Schettino will have to answer a lot of questions.

for further information: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16606405

r.s.

PROTECT IP/SOPA - the end of the free internet?

The topic of a new bill POTECT IP that has been introduced to Senate is intensively discussed on internet. The bill is scheduled for a test vote in the Senate on 24th of January.  


Do you want to know more how PROTECT IP/SOPA works? check these videos out:


http://www.fightforthefuture.org/pipa - PROTECT IP / SOPA Act Breaks the Internet


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zBtr4aZtmrQ - SOPA "explained" by The Guardian